Aldrec
was an elf who was mystery to all but himself.Keeping others at arm’s length, he lived each day staving off madness
from his impossibly long and somewhat reclusive life.Mericlou was an Alerian model: an obsolete
brand of android from a bygone era, lost in the monotony of the daily grind and
her eccentric ‘family.’Their
friendship, born ofserendipity, healed
their lonely souls.Later, love entwined
their lonely hearts…and nearly rekindled a shameful war.

EXCERPT

Nalsa district, across the river, Number 4 Windhill Apartments.

The elf
repeated the address to himself as he pushed his way through the crowds. In
human cities it was unusual for a something as petty as purse-snatching to be
the subject of intense gossip amongst the marketplace goers, but elven cities
like Lusea were known for their tranquility and near-nonexistent crime. The
owner of the flower shop, an elf maiden who knew him, had given him the
android's address from her records after his promise to deliver the flowers she
had dropped, and he had magically stored them for safekeeping. Her home was not
far away. Yet he hoped that he could find her first and offer his help.

He was in
luck, it seemed, as he became aware of her crying above the ambient noise of
the thinning crowds as he reached the marketplace edge. Her electronic voice
was very distinctive, and her cries were both plaintive and miserable.

The elf
pressed on through the final throngs of shoppers and followed the sound at last
to a lone figure sitting on the steps of a shop just beyond the pillars of the
marketplace atrium. Her face was buried in her hands.

He came to her
side and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she lifted her head.

"By the Divine…!"
the elf gasped, eyes widening at the sight of her.

She was beautiful!

Though her
amber-colored doe eyes were bloodshot and red, her tear-streaked face was, like
all androids, devoid of any physical blemish. If it could be said to be an
imperfection, there was only a tiny mole set below and to the right of her
deep-bronze-red lips. A black leather choker was clasped around her neck, from
which hung a gold-encrusted amethyst. Androids were a common sight, and female
types, even more so, but it was as if, at the sight of this particular android,
he had never truly noticed them before. For a second, he simply stared, his
voice caught in his throat at her beauty that, for lack of a better word, could
only be described as perfect.

The elf
fumbled with his hip satchel for a handkerchief, which he offered to the
android. The android hiccupped another couple of suppressed sobs as she stared
curiously at him then at his gift. With only the faintest of smiles, she
accepted it. The pale, near-alabaster tone of her skin made her fingers seem as
delicate as a china doll's.

"I saw
what happened," the elf said, finally finding his tongue. He knelt beside
the android as she used the handkerchief to dab at her eyes. "Are you
okay?"

The android
shook her head, and a couple more tears streamed down her stained cheeks.

Her last few
words became garbled as she grimaced and broke again into a torrent of cries
and wails. She buried her face in the handkerchief, and before long, had soaked
it through with her tears.

"It's…the
perfect end…to a perfect day!" She came up for air, only to cover her face
again and resume her crying fit.

Alarmed, yet
hesitant, the elf placed his arm around her shoulder, and to his surprise, she
readily accepted him. The android leaned into his breast, and coughed out a few
more ragged sobs, too exhausted to cry anymore.

"Th-thank
you," she quavered, having composed herself and looking more than a little
embarrassed at having emptied her sorrow into the bosom of a complete stranger.
"I'm not usually like this, really. It's just that…well, today's just gone
all to hell, if you know what I mean?" She followed her statement with a
loud, wet sniffle.

"Oh, I
can guess," the elf said, recalling, in spite of himself, his mood before
seeing her chase after that purse-snatcher. He gave her a reassuring smile.
"Besides, I've had something of a bad day myself."

"Have you
ever had your purse stolen?" The
android asked, as though nothing could have possibly been worse than what had
happened to her.

At this, the
elf stifled a potentially regrettable laugh. "No, but then again, how many
men, human or otherwise, do you see with a purse?"

The android
let out a slight guffaw, and smiled.

"Aha, so
you can laugh!" the elf said.
"I was beginning to wonder if your sense of humor had been taken as well.
But seriously, if I did have a
purse—heaven forbid—I know that it isn't exactly the best thing to wear in the
city, even in Lusea. It's too easy to steal: bands snap; there's nothing to
hold on to. I've seen it before."

"I guess
I learned it the hard way, huh?" the android said grimly. She bent over,
cradling her forehead in her hands. "Boy, was I stupid, or what?"

"Look,
don't talk like that." The elf shook his head resolutely. "You're not stupid. You just made a mistake, is
all. Besides, that kid was the one to blame. He was the one who stole your purse. Hey, that reminds me…"

He removed his
hip satchel from his belt and unzipped it. "Here," he said, "you
can have this."